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Silent b, p, and l: what to pronounce

Listen, notice one detail, and say the word in a phrase.

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Videos and full notes: https://ipronounce.io/guides/silent-b-p-l

Name: ________________________　 Date: __________________

This lesson’s listening targets

Leave out the silent letter while retaining the neighboring sounds.

Silent b. Notice the spoken t in debt, doubt, and subtle. Thumb instead ends with m.
Silent p. The p is silent at different positions in these words: the beginning of psychology and pneumonia, the middle of receipt, and the end of coup.
Silent l. Move straight from the vowel to the following consonant. Practice yolk and folk with an oh vowel followed directly by k, leaving out the l sound.

A five-word listening round

Choose five words below. Open each linked word and play its APG video.
Write one sound observation: the strongest syllable, a silent letter, a consonant connection, or a variant you hear.
Say the original practice phrase, then write and say your own sentence.
Read the word’s listening note and compare it with your observation. Repeat any word you want to revisit.

Your listening record — choose five, then return for another round
Word & video	Practice phrase	What I hear / my sentence
debt	The company reduced its debt.
doubt	There is no doubt.
subtle	A subtle difference.
thumb	A thumb on the page.
receipt	Please keep the receipt.
psychology	An introduction to psychology.
pneumonia	A discussion of pneumonia.
coup	Securing that interview was a coup for the magazine.
calf	The calf stayed close to its mother.
walk	We took a walk after lunch.
yolk	The egg had a bright yellow yolk.
folk	The musicians played a folk song.

Test your pronunciation knowledge

Choose one answer for each question. The answer key includes explanations and source links.

Which consonant remains at the end of debt?
1. b
2. Both b and t
3. t
What happens to b and t in “subtle”?
1. The b is silent and the t remains.
2. The b remains and the t is silent.
3. Both b and t are silent.
Which sound should finish “thumb”?
1. With a released b
2. With m
3. With m followed by a separate uh
Which description keeps both the stress and the ending of receipt?
1. REE-sip, ending in p
2. ri-SEEP, ending in p
3. ri-SEET, ending in t
Which pair gives the opening sounds of psychology and pneumonia?
1. s for psychology; n for pneumonia
2. p for both words
3. s for psychology; m for pneumonia
How does “coup” end?
1. With p after a long oo
2. With the long oo vowel alone
3. With an unstressed uh after p
In American English, which sounds follow the initial k in “calf”?
1. The cat vowel, then l, then f
2. The cat vowel, then a separate uh, then f
3. The cat vowel directly followed by f
Which letter can be silent in both “yolk” and “folk”?
1. The l
2. The first letter
3. The k

Show the answer key

Open this section before printing to include the answers.

C. t Debt is /dɛt/: the b is silent, but the final t remains. Compare doubt, which also keeps t after omitting b.
Source: CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
A. The b is silent and the t remains. Subtle is /ˈsʌtəl/. Omitting b does not remove t: the t still connects the stressed first vowel to the light final syllable.
Source: Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
B. With m Thumb ends /m/. Close the lips for m and finish there; neither the written b nor an added vowel belongs at the end.
Source: CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
C. ri-SEET, ending in t Receipt stresses SEET and ends in t. The p is silent; the first vowel remains lighter than the stressed ee.
Source: Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
A. s for psychology; n for pneumonia The initial p is silent in both words. Psychology starts directly with s, while pneumonia starts directly with n.
Source: Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
B. With the long oo vowel alone Coup is /ku/. It has one syllable and ends with the vowel in blue; the written p has no sound.
Source: CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
C. The cat vowel directly followed by f The American pronunciation /kæf/ has no l. Move from the short a directly into f, keeping “calf” to one syllable.
Source: CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
A. The l The l can be silent in “yolk” /joʊk/ and “folk” /foʊk/. Both can rhyme with joke, moving from the long o directly to k.
Source: CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Sources & reuse

The pronunciation notes are based on the dictionary sources linked from each word page. Practice phrases and exercises are original APG learning material, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Credit American Pronunciation Guide and keep the source links when adapting this worksheet. Videos and reference quotations retain their own terms.

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